True North

Wisdom from the Field #30

In the best-selling guide The Artist’s Way, playwright and teacher Julia Cameron asks readers to engage in two regular practices:

• Morning Pages

• Artist Dates

Artist dates are weekly solo excursions to places that inspire creativity and joy: hikes, an art class, museums, a concert, a favorite pasttime.

Morning pages are a daily commitment to handwriting three pages of whatever comes to mind: likes, dislikes, hopes, fears.

Of all the benefits of morning pages, Cameron notes how this process helps us stay connected with what we believe to be true.

“Over any considerable period of time, the morning pages perform spiritual chiropractic. They realign our values. If we are to the left or the right of our personal truth, the pages will point out the need for a course adjustment. We will become aware of our drift and correct it - if only to hush the pages up.” (p. 80)

Our honest thoughts reflected back to us in writing are difficult to ignore.

A map or a compass?

A recent article I read compared the theory of schoolwide improvement to a map: A plan all laid out that leaders just need to follow.

Reality is messier. The pandemic has shown us how ephemeral our plans really are. How do we go back to long term planning after the last three school years?

What the article recommends as a better metaphor is a compass, a guiding tool that constantly points our way toward true north.

What is our true north, and how do we know we are following the pathway to success?

My daily visits to classrooms and engaging in instructional walks are my “morning pages” at work. They align my focus with our priorities. When I am with students and teachers, I write down what I am noticing. My observations align with our instructional framework, which describes our literacy beliefs and promising practices. I share my notes with the class, a celebration of their efforts and success.

Attending regularly to what is going well, along with our efforts toward improvement, ensures my compass is always pointing toward true north.

For more information on instructional walks and schoolwide change, check out my new book Leading Like a C.O.A.C.H. - and join us for the Twitter chat below!